Night Terrors
by JenovaII
Summary: An earth pony who can use magic?  Twilight's interested!  But this pony has secrets - dark secrets - that he would rather not unearth...
1. Chapter 1

Twilight Sparkle took in a deep breath, smelling her favorite scents in the world. Dust, silverfish, resin-glue, binding threads, and _old books._ Magically, she coaxed a simple, high-walled cart towards her, causing her dragon assistant, Spike, who had been leaning on said cart, to nearly fall over.

"Lazy dragon," Twilight chuckled. Spike grimaced at her as she began carefully pulling the ancient books from the basement shelves. Her magical telekinesis was precise and well-honed, but she still took great care – and a little joy – in slowly easing the aged tomes from their resting places, urging them inch by inch until they were free. She had to resist the great urge to flip through them; that would come later. Instead, she set them one by one into the cart, dropping them so they landed with a gentle puff of dust.

The library had been rather quiet the last few days. Then again, it had always been fairly quiet, since most ponies didn't frequent the library, anyway. The ones that did almost always chose a work of research and none of the incredibly detailed and prestigious storybooks or novels that Twilight offered. It was almost as though ponies were intimidated by the library. Twilight thought it silly to be scared of a bunch of books, but maybe that's how some ponies were.

With all the new free time on her hooves, Twilight decided to explore her new home further. In the basement she'd found a whole hoard of thick, heavy books with yellowed pages, the contents of which made her droolingly curious. So on a peaceful day with not much else going on, Twilight decided to collect up all the old books and restore them.

"Heavy reading," Spike quipped as an extraordinarily thick book was added to the pile. This one looked much like a scrapbook, with little slivers of paper brimming from the edges and thick places where materials like bits of metal had been placed inside.

"It's all heavy," Twilight said, oblivious to the pun. "That's why I called my number one assistant to help me push it back up the stairs."

"What?" gasped Spike, looking again at the filling wagon.

Twilight laughed and was about to respond when a muffled banging, like many books hitting the floor, echoed from the surface. They both looked at the ceiling for a moment, then Twilight spoke in a whispered voice, "Is somepony up there?"

"How'm I supposed to know?" Spike whispered back.

They hurried to the basement door, where Spike gallantly allowed Twilight to go first. She opened the door to the main library to find a stallion looking over the rows of books. He had his back to her, peering quickly and with mild frustration over the books. He was about as tall as Big Macintosh, with a blue coat and a long, black mane and tail, both braided loosely and tied with string. Around his neck he wore a small woolen satchel. He was muttering to himself, and though Twilight could not understand what he was saying, she had a feeling she wouldn't like his words.

"Can I help you?" she asked strongly, a little slighted that he would just waltz in and start throwing books around. A large stack of books as high as his shoulder stood next to him, and she knew that little satchel wasn't going to carry all of them.

His head snapped to her. His bright mahogany eyes looked like the smoldering magma of an active volcano, and they burned with annoyance. Twilight's heart skipped a beat, and in spite of herself she took a step backwards.

"You're not Storybelle," he hissed in a low voice.

For a moment, Twilight felt a twinge of guilt, as though she _ought_ to be Storybelle, whoever that was. Then she found her senses, straightening up and puffing out her chest. "No, I'm Twilight Sparkle."

He stared at her for what seemed like forever, a cold, harsh glare that seemed to pierce her soul. Then he turned with a sigh. "I need _A Canterlot Guide to Premium Magic_. It used to be on this shelf, but it seems somepony's gone about the task of ruining Storybelle's unique and spectacularly efficient system of organization. I can only assume that would be you."

Twilight was more than slighted. She huffed, trotting off through the door under the staircase to the secondary library. It took her less than a second to find the book, which she pulled swiftly out with her magic, floated it to the primary room, and slammed it down on the large table in the middle.

"Alphabetical order," she seethed.

"Genre would have been more helpful," he said coldly. He grabbed the book in his teeth and added it to the stack, which Twilight now saw was on top of a small wheeled base. A line tethered it to his tail, though Twilight wondered how he'd get all the books home without them falling. Producing a long strip of paper from his satchel and laying it on the table, he said, "This is a list of all the books I've taken. I'll have them back by Friday."

"Wait a minute," Twilight said. She wasn't about to let this irritating punk off so easily. A smirk spread across her face. "I need to see your library card."

"How archaic." He sighed, rolling his reddish-brown eyes, and produced a small, yellow, and very worn card from his satchel. Taking it in his teeth, he started to set it on the table, but Twilight's magic snatched it away before it touched the wood.

She stared at the worn card, which was complete with his name – Dusk Dreamer – and a full Ponyville address. It even had an individual identification number.

"You'll find the address is current," he said coolly and again started towards the door. Twilight had no choice but to let him go, glaring at him as he went.

"Whoa," said Spike from behind her, seeing the barbaric stack of books, "he reads as much as you do."

Twilight knitted her brows. "_Nopony_ reads as much as I do."

A sudden thought struck her, and she swiped the long list from off the table, inspecting it closely. Every single book was a book of magical study, herbal remedies, or alchemy. She looked up at the door, as though the ghost image of Dusk Dreamer still remained. "Wait, wasn't he an earth pony?"

"Yeah," said Spike, taking the list from her and holding it sideways to look at it. "Why?"

"Why would he want to borrow magic books? It's not like he can use them."

"Ya got me," Spike said. "Hey, weren't you reading this one?" He held the list out to her, his tiny claw pointing to a book she'd opened up that very morning. Twilight grabbed the list again, gave it a closer look, and set it on fire with her magic.

"Ugh! That...that jerk!"

* * *

><p>"Dusk <em>Dreamer<em>?" Rarity's eyes lit up like stars. "Oh, I didn't know he was back in town! How exciting!"

"So you _do_ know him, then?" Twilight asked. It was her turn to host the weekly luncheon with her friends, and she thought she'd bring up the stallion's name. It had been a while since Twilight had first come to Ponyville, and she was sure she knew of almost every pony there, aside from a few unseen pegasi and some foals.

"No, but I wish I did." She rested her head in her hooves and let out a swooning sigh. "Oh, he's so dark and tall and handsome..."

Twilight raised a brow. "You're sure we're talking about the same pony? This guy was a total jerk."

"Yup! That's Dusky, all right!" piped up Pinkie Pie. Rarity gaped at her in surprise.

"You know him? And you never introduced us! How could you?"

"How do you know him, Pinkie?"

Pinkie rolled her eyes, grinning. "He's my bestest best friend, of course!"

Twilight stared hard at Pinkie, trying to determine if she was being truthful or merely self-delusional. She concluded it was the latter. "What about you, Fluttershy? Ever heard of him?"

"O-only in rumor," she said, rubbing her hooves together nervously. "It's been a couple of years since he was here, but that was when all that trouble started."

"What trouble?"

Applejack interrupted. "Uh, we don't like ta talk about it. Bringin' back bad mem'ries an' all that."

"Do you know him, AJ?"

"Yeah, Ah know 'im." Applejack's face soured. She tilted back her Stetson. "Ah'll tell ya now, that pony ain't no good. 'Bout three or so years ago, him an' Big Macintosh were gettin' kinda friendly, all buddy-like. Then, one day, with no explanation, Big Mac jes' up an' disappeared fer three whole days. Refused t'talk about what happened when he got back, but everypony knew that rotten Dusk was involved. If Ah were you, Twi, Ah'd stay as far away from 'im as possible."

"Hmm." Twilight scowled, thinking that wasn't such a bad idea. "Rainbow Dash?"

The pegasus only shrugged. "Never heard of 'im. Then again, I haven't been in Ponyville that much longer than you have."

"Oh, Twilight?" Rarity spoke up. "Next time you see him, could you give him my number?"

Applejack huffed. "Didn' ya jes' hear me say-"

"Yes, and I understand entirely. But you know what they say! A good girl can reform a...bad boy." She giggled mischievously. Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Can't we stop talking about him?" Fluttershy said. "Let's talk about something better."

They turned their attention to some upcoming festival, all agreeing to drop the matter of the mysterious pony. One question still loomed in Twilight's head – why was he studying magic?

* * *

><p>The week couldn't pass quickly enough. Twilight was even tempted on going to the address and seeing if Dusk was even there. For all she knew, he had just made off with that huge stack of books and would never be seen again. On Friday, however, he showed up before noon, toting the large, wobbly stack somehow on the little cart. Twilight had already pulled the ancient books from the basement and was going about the arduous work of copying them afresh when he entered.<p>

He didn't glance at her but set about his search. Twilight noticed the stack of books disappearing from his cart and noticed he was shelving them again. This annoyed her greatly, as she didn't know whether he was messing up her precious and precise organization or not.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him staring at her. He didn't say anything but quickly snapped his gaze to Spike, who was organizing some loose papers. From the satchel around his neck, he pulled out another long list, and Twilight almost gave herself away with a gasp.

The list was hovering in midair, a dark blue aura around it. He was using magic.

Twilight pretended to be engrossed in her studies. She checked him again – no horn. He was an earth pony, and nothing about him said 'unicorn' in the slightest. Even as she watched, a book from his pile shelved itself, glowing blue. Another book levitated off of the shelf and onto his cart. His head moved from his list to the bookshelves, and finally he let out an exasperated sigh.

"_Azoturian Water Remedies,_" he demanded impatiently, making Twilight jump.

"What about it?" she said lowly after collecting herself.

"I _need_ it," he hissed, "and – surprise! - can't find it anywhere."

Twilight set down her quill and slowly rolled up her scroll. She got up from her seat, sauntering casually into the secondary library.

"Any time today," he sighed. She rolled her eyes at him.

"It's my library. I'll go my own pace, thank you very much."

"It's not _your_ library," he snapped, "it's Storybelle's. You're lucky to even be here, especially with the lackadaisical way you run things. No wonder there's nopony else here."

Twilight glared at him, her brain readying itself for a battle of wits. "If you want the book, you'd better start being nicer to me."

He said nothing more but scowled heavily at her, his magma eyes glowering. Twilight ignored him and continued into the second library. She did not, however, retrieve the book but waited. Soon, she heard the cautious sound of shifting books. Then there was a shimmering, low, musical sound, the sound of magic produced.

Twilight jumped out from the second room. "A-ha!"

Dusk's eyes went wide, and he dropped several of the books he'd magically raised. One still hung in the air, surrounded by a dark blue aura. Twilight smiled triumphantly in response to Dusk's look of horror. He dropped the remaining book and bolted for the door, but Twilight had already locked it. She felt the tug of his magic as he tried to open it, and she pushed harder to keep it shut.

"Let me go!" he growled.

"Tell me how you use magic!" Twilight barked back.

"If you _must_ pour salt in the wound, my horn was broken off." He tugged harder, and the door opened a crack. Twilight pushed harder, slamming it shut again.

"Liar!" Twilight cried. Sparks started to spray from her horn. For an earth pony, his magic was quite strong. "I've seen my share of those poor unicorns in Canterlot. Once their horns are damaged, they can't use magic at all!"

Dusk growled angrily, narrowing his brows and planting his hooves. It looked as though he was preparing another spell. A thick book raised itself in the air and glowed with a wide aura.

"Let me go," he said again, slowly, more than a hint of threat in his voice.

Suddenly, Twilight felt Dusk's magic stop pulling at the door. The book dropped from the air and landed with a loud bang on the floor. Dusk let out a sharp, whispered curse and stomped the floor. Twilight blinked, confused.

Dusk looked up at her, malice and contempt and a hint of desperation in his mahogany eyes. "I hope you're happy. I hope you're thoroughly satisfied. Is this what you like to do, trap ponies in your stupid, stinking mess of a library and force their secrets out of them?"

Twilight's ears went back as a pang of guilt spread through her. True, he was a jerk, but he had a point. She had no right to force him to stay. "I-I-I..."

"You what?" His look was cold.

"I was just curious. You're...well...an earth pony. You shouldn't be able to use magic. And you just did."

He sighed. His expression didn't soften. "Well, since you've found me out, I may as well show you. Generally, that nice little unicorn lie works with everypony else. Why did _you_ have to be the smart one?"

Sticking his muzzle into his satchel, he retrieved five small vials full of different colored liquid. He laid these out on the table. One were filled with a bright blue liquid. One was bright strawberry red; one was an icy light blue. The next one was a dark purple, almost the same color as Twilight's mane. The last one was a disgusting greenish-brown, almost the color of swamp water.

Twilight tilted her head. "Potions?"

"All of these are temporary, mind you. The length is proportionate to how skilled I am with that particular magic. This first one gives me basic unicorn telepathy for about an hour, unless I have to strain to use my power." His voice suddenly adopted a bitter sarcasm. "Thank you, by the way, for completely draining it from me by locking me in. That was an utter joy." He pointed to each of them with a hoof as he described them. "This red one allows me powers of fire and light. This one allows water and ice. This one is transmutation magic, allowing me to change the appearance or nature of an object. This last one...hm..."

He took the swamp water vial in his lips, deftly prying off the cork and spitting it to the side without spilling a drop. He guzzled down the contents of the vial, placing it back in the satchel when he was finished. He then gave a sly, unwelcome grin to Twilight.

"Want to see what that last one does?"

Twilight suddenly had the feeling she did _not_.

"First, I want something from you. A promise. You see, these potions work only for me and no other pony. If any pony drank them without consulting me first, there may be some very dangerous adverse effects. Unicorns in particular must never, ever drink them. I'm sure even you can tell that these must be kept secret from the world."

Twilight nodded slowly, fear growing as she wondered about the potion he'd injested.

"You must make a promise that you will never tell another living soul about my magic or my potions."

"Y-yeah, I will."

"I want your solemn word, Twilight. Say these words exactly: 'I swear I will not tell a living soul about Dusk's magic or potions'."

Twilight blinked and began hesitantly. "I-I swear I will not tell a living soul about Dusk's magic or potions."

She was suddenly enveloped with a bright purple light. An odd tingling spread all through her body, and she felt a strange, overwhelming sense of doom. The whole library seemed to grow darker for an instant. She shut her eyes tightly, and within moments the sense of doom had passed. When she opened her eyes, everything was back to normal.

"Excellent," Dusk grinned. Twilight's hair started to stand on end.

"Wh-what did you just do to me?" she demanded, her horn lighting up.

"If you break your word and tell, everypony will know that you are a liar. Your name and image will be blackened until the end of time." The color drained out of Twilight's face. It was Dusk's turn for the triumphant grin. "That last potion? Not a very well-studied school of magic, certainly. I believe the laypony's term is 'curses'."

Twilight muttered something gibberish. She was going to say that she didn't believe in curses, but she couldn't justify saying that when she'd just felt its effects. Part of her assured her that the alleged curse was still just a hoax, a mental spell just to let her think she'd been cursed. Another part wanted to err on the side of caution and keep her promise.

"May I be dismissed, now?" Dusk said, clenching his jaw slightly. Twilight gulped and nodded, opening the door with her magic. Dusk drank from the blue vial, and Twilight saw the stack of books light up with a dim blue. The remaining vials also lifted up, packing themselves back into his satchel. There was a glasslike clink, as though more vials lie within. He wrapped the cart's tether around his tail and threw his long list on the floor at Twilight's hooves.

"That list," he snapped. "Minus the last four. Back on Friday. Maybe."

He slammed the door behind him, hard enough to knock a few books off the shelf.

* * *

><p>(Hello! Author here! Dusk is based off of an original character from my novel-in-progress. This fic is a practice in keeping a character's traits and avoiding what the cool kids call "Flanderization." I'd really appreciate your feedback, especially in later chapters, to make sure Dusk's characteristics remain the same. He's a dynamic character, so his outlook changes, but his mannerisms ought to stay the same. Thanks for reading; comments are always appreciated!)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Twilight was returning to the library, carrying a full saddlebag's worth of groceries. It had been a week since her confrontation with Dusk, and she half-expected never to see him again. Therefore, it was a surprise when she saw him walking towards the library, his stack of books in tow. The greater surprise was Pinkie Pie, who was bouncing all around him and running her mouth a mile a minute. He wore a deadpan expression of grave annoyance, which, considering Pinkie Pie's personality, wasn't a surprise at all.

Twilight chuckled in spite of herself.

Dusk approached Twilight and stopped, the high stack of books striking his flank and wobbling insecurely. A blue glow assured not a page fell out of place. Pinkie leaped over his back from one side to the other, still ears-deep in her own pool of prolixity. Dusk gave a lengthy sigh, lowering his head, patience exhausted.

"If you can stop her, I'll give you your books back," he muttered, eyebrow twitching.

Twilight raised a hoof over her mouth to stifle her laughter. She looked up at Pinkie, grinning. "Hey, Pinkie?"

"Oh! Hiya, Twilight!" Pinkie stopped in mid-bounce and somehow landed light as a feather on the ground. Twilight had long ago stopped concerning herself with Pinkie's swift and determined rebellion against the laws of physics. The pink pony gave enough headaches as it was.

Twilight smirked. "Wasn't Rainbow Dash going to practice in the park today?"

Pinkie's eyes widened and sparkled with joyful remembrance. She let out a happy squeal and immediately started in the opposite direction, bouncing as quickly as she could down the street. Dusk watched her disappear into the distance, relief swelling in his face.

"Thank Celestia," he sighed. "I've been trying all day to get her off my back." He grimaced. The comment was somewhat literal.

"She's easily distracted," Twilight grinned. She magically opened the door for Dusk, but almost immediately she felt his magic grab it from her. Blinking, she stepped back.

"I'm perfectly capable of opening a door, thanks," he snarled. Twilight's ears went back. Evidently, he was still upset.

Once inside, he immediately set about re-shelving the books he'd returned. Twilight studied him closely; he was organizing them in a different order. She quickly pulled the books away, sliding them into their proper places.

He glared. "Shall we make this a battle?"

Books suddenly filled the air, glowing in purple and blue auras. Twilight narrowed her eyes and planted her hooves firmly on the rug. If it was a battle he wanted, Twilight would certainly give him one. Hefty volumes flew through the air as the two ponies tried to stare each other down. Thick texts slammed into their shelves. Music filled the air, the humming of magical power, Twilight's light, airy tune struggling for order against Dusk's dark, chaotic drone.

Suddenly, Twilight felt herself overwhelmed. She was trying to concentrate too hard on the order of the books and not the volume of volumes she was carrying. Dusk, somehow, was able to carry many more books at one time. Irritatingly enough, he seemed to be randomly shoving them into any empty spot on the shelf, particularly the very spots on which Twilight was currently concentrating. The earth pony somehow got the upper hand, and Twilight let out a loud groan as the last book was forced from her magical grip and placed on the very top shelf.

"H-how...how did you..." Twilight's stammered for words. She met a cold stare, his eyes flashing like embers. Something told Twilight this had not been a game to him.

"I practice. You take it too lightly, the mundane power of telekinesis that every unicorn possesses. I naturally lack this ability, and it has taken _years _of study, discipline, and concentration to do those little insipid things you take for granted every day. Lifting a quill took me seven months to achieve; writing fluently took three years. Reorganizing your bookshelf is foal's play to me now."

"Reorganizing?" Twilight scoffed. "You just put them in randomly!"

Dusk bristled. "Look again, you idiot. Or are you too stupid to recognize alphabetical order when you see it?"

Twilight opened her mouth to retort, but her eye instinctively caught the shelf. Indeed, the whole wall had been set in perfectly alphabetical order, with all the magic books in one half of the wall and all other reference guides on the other. It was, to her horror, a more logical order than what she had previously maintained. She felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

Dusk had moved on, however, and now he scanned the second library for any useful books. Twilight remained in the main library, allowing her temper to cool a bit before approaching him. She had hoped to apologize for her behavior if he appeared, but his cockiness seemed to set her off again. Already, he had been aggressively rude and incredibly forward; even if it _was_a more logical organization, he had no right touching Twilight's books.

Twilight took a deep breath and picked up her satchel of groceries. Spike's head popped out from the kitchen.

"What's going on?"

"Captain Courtesy has graced us with his visit once again," Twilight seethed. Spike rolled his eyes. "Can you help me with the groceries?"

As the little dragon hefted the last of the foodstuffs into the pantry, Twilight decided to check on her guest. Approaching the archway under the stairs, she heard the thump of a book and a whispered curse. She cautiously peered in.

Dusk fumbled clumsily with a book on the floor, his fetlock-covered hooves slipping around it and dropping it again. Unaware that Twilight was watching him, he leaned down and tried to grab it in his teeth without much success. He cursed again as the book dropped from his grasp. The magic battle must have drained his power.

Twilight felt a surge of pity. She had never wondered how it would be if she'd ever lost her magic. Magic was her life, and contrary to Dusk's prior rebuke, she routinely thought about her telekinesis and many other 'mundane' spells she used. Every bit of her magic was special.

Dusk finally noticed her. His eyes narrowed and a surge of color leaped to his cheeks. "What are you looking at?" he demanded angrily.

Twilight stepped into the room, ears back. "I wanted to apologize for earlier. Well, not the book thing – you kinda started that. I mean the whole trapping-you-in-the-library thing last week. Generally, I'm a lot nicer than that. I promise."

He tilted his head at her, as though he didn't believe her. At length he shrugged. Twilight wasn't sure whether to take it as sarcasm or passiveness. Either way, he said nothing more for a long time, staring meaninglessly at the rows of books.

"You shouldn't care what I think of you. I certainly don't care what you think of me." He snapped his head up at her. "Why are you still bothering me, anyway? Think I can't choose my own books?"

Twilight bit her tongue, holding back a perfectly honest but potentially insulting observation that he was, indeed, having issues with his books. She selected a random book from the shelf and levitated it toward her. "Just getting something for my research is all. Let me know when you're done."

She sat down at her study desk in the main library, putting the book on her stand. Her journal lay in front of her, full of observations and analyses on the magic of friendship. Flipping it open, she leafed through it.

_Perhaps friendship isn't for everypony, _she thought. Dusk certainly didn't want to make an effort to be genial, much less friendly. There didn't seem to be a reason for it; she certainly hadn't done anything to provoke him, except not being Storybelle. Whoever that was. Perhaps it was for the best; the majority of her friends didn't seem to have a positive opinion about the stranger.

She looked over her shoulder. Sounds of dropped books still echoed from the second library. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Spike, munching on a stalk of celery and looking in Dusk's direction.

"Hope he's not makin' a mess in there," Spike muttered. "What's his problem, anyway?"

Twilight shook her head. "Not sure."

Silence fell on the library, save the crunching of celery. After a few minutes, Twilight heard the shifting of books and the low drone of magic.

"He gave up," she said quietly. Spike looked at her quizzically, but she ignored him. Getting up from her desk, she walked to the archway again. Dusk had already acquired another large stack of books. He glowered at her as she entered the room.

"You certainly put a lot of study into your magic," she said. He glanced away from her, saying nothing. After a moment, she continued. "You know, I'm studying magic, too. I'm a student of-"

"I know," he said quietly. "Pinkie told me all about you and the others. Not that I had a choice in listening. You're Celestia's student. She, you, that 'Rainbow Dash' you mentioned, Applejack, that shy yellow pegasus, and that white unicorn that kept stalking me are all parts of the Elements of Harmony. You all defeated Nightmare Moon several months ago when she returned." He scoffed. "I'm almost sorry I missed that."

"That's right, but we don't really like to dwell on that 'Elements of Harmony' thing too much. We'd rather like to think ourselves as everyday ponies. How did you and Pinkie become friends, anyway?"

"She may choose to bother me, and I may choose to condone her presence. That doesn't mean we're friends. Tell me: is it possible to avoid Pinkie Pie if she really wants to talk to you?"

"Definitely not." Nopony save Rainbow Dash knew about Pinkie's tenacity for talk more than Twilight. She almost felt bad sending Pinkie off to annoy somepony else. "I get your point. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something."

"Don't you have better things to do?" he snarked, turning away to once again scan the rows of books. "Well, go ahead!"

Twilight chewed her lip. Dusk certainly wasn't making this easy. "Well, your certain variety of magic is especially intriguing, and I'd like to know more about it. Since you and I both study magic, don't you think it would be beneficial to put our heads together?"

"No," he answered quickly. He pulled a book off of the shelf, flipped through it, scowled, and quickly shelved it. Twilight noticed it was a book on botany.

"Why not?"

He pulled another book down, scowling at it before putting it back. A book on island life this time, and Twilight noticed he'd scanned several pages of plantlife. "It's not a good idea."

"On what principle?"

He glanced at her in mild surprise, as though impressed at her sudden change of tone. Grabbing another book, he growled in frustration as it yielded no answers and shoved it forcefully back on the shelf. He took a breath before answering. "The principle that it's not a good idea. Even though nopony frequents your library, practicing my magic here would still open up the possibility that somepony may discover my secret. Despite how it seems, I don't like doing that curse spell. The potion tastes terrible."

"We could set up in the basement. I've gotten it cleared out, and now there's plenty of room."

He slammed another book back in the shelf and turned to her, his voice ripe with agitation. "Why are you pressing this issue? Are you crushing on me or something? If that's the case, I'm not interested."

Twilight sighed quietly, trying to hold her rising temper. He was mistreating her books, which was more than enough to set her off. "Dusk, you're a very unique pony. I think you're the only earth pony in all of Equestria to even have the mental capacity for magic. That in itself is a power worth investigating. Plus, your potions may hold some clues to how I can hone my own magical skills. I know, you said nopony else should drink the potions, but it's still completely fascinating to know that such a power exists."

Dusk seemed to ruminate on her response as he slowly (and, to Twilight's relief, a little more respectfully) pulled another book down. Once again, he scanned its pages; once again, he found frustration. Twilight noticed, however, that something in her words seemed to affect him, like some long-forgotten scar that had started to ache. He shelved the book just as slowly as he'd taken it.

"I don't think you can help me," he said after a moment's silence. "It's difficult enough finding the right research material."

"Well, what do you need? I _am _in charge of the library now, even if I'm not that friend of yours."

He winced at the word 'friend'. "My fire potions are lacking in ferocity, so to speak. The organic materials of which they're made are difficult to find, and I was wondering if there was a more local and perhaps more powerful plant to use as a substitute."

Twilight realized right away what he needed. She scanned the shelves but did not find the particular book. She beckoned him to follow her into the main library, and there she discovered the book she needed was the one she'd previously randomly selected. It glowed purple as it lifted up from the book stand and over to Dusk.

"Super Naturals," he said, scowling at the book's cover. "Are you sure this will help?"

She nudged her head toward the book, magically opening it to a particular page. With a lengthy eyeroll, he opened it and started reading. She felt his magic grab the book, and she relinquished hold with a smirk.

"'Capsicorn peppers'," he read aloud. "'While they lack the distinctive spiciness of regular peppers, these are known for their ability to be grown in home gardens as a decorative plant. The leaves have the ability to quell one's fiery tongue, if one can become accustomed to the taste." A picture next to the article depicted long, yellow peppers that split into two ends and curled like ram's horns. "Despite the sweet taste of a fresh pepper, a dried pepper has been known to be spicier than rainbow concentrate'."

"My friend Fluttershy is growing some of these. We can dehydrate the peppers, crush them into powder, and mix it with the oil of this -" She flipped the pages to the article on Dragon-Tongue root. "- and then mix it with whatever potion you have. Granted, if you have a water-based potion, you'll need to emulsify it , but it should give you some amplification."

He gaped at her, stunned. "How did you know-"

Twilight grinned. "Chemistry is one of my favorite studies. I wasn't top student in Professor Pestle's class for no reason."

Dusk snapped the book shut, and Twilight swore a surge of color rushed to his cheeks. "I suppose you've made your point. Are you sure you're prepared to study with me? I will not go easy on you."

Twilight's magic grabbed the book and set it back on the book stand. "I was a student in Celestia's Academy. I think I can tough out a couple experiments with you.."

He gave her a dubious look. From the other room, his cart wheeled itself to his side, devoid of books. The tether wrapped around his tail. "Very well. I'll return after sunset tonight with my equipment."

Twilight smirked as he left, and as soon as the door closed she broke out into a devious chuckle.

"Twilight, are you crazy?" Spike asked, a dumbfounded look on his face. "I mean, yeah, you know a lot about chemistry, but that guy's a jerk! Plus, weren't you gonna try to stay away from him?" He gave her a quizzical, suspicious look. "You're not...you're not _really _crushing on him, are you?"

"Spike!" Twilight rebuked, her look suddenly stern. "You know I always put my studies first! I'm surprised at you. My number one assistant, thinking I've got some personal motives. No, Spike, don't you see? This is a _test! _If I get him to research here, I can try to get him to open up. If I get him to open up, maybe he'll be willing to make friends. And trust me, that guy is in serious need of friendship."

Spike scoffed. It was an odd comment, coming from Twilight Sparkle, former captain of the S.S. Friendless.

The unicorn glared at him. "Spike, please. If I can use all I've learned about friendship to help Dusk win some friends, it'll be a testament to my dedication to the magic of friendship! The princess is sure to commend me on my studies!" She giggled in triumph.

"You really think that's gonna work? I mean, this is the same guy that _cursed_you last time he was here. Are you really sure this is a good idea?"

"What could go wrong? And that wasn't a real curse, Spike. It was just an act to show off his magic. In fact, I'm going to write to the princess right now and tell her everything."

She took up a quill and scroll, dabbing the nib quickly in ink before scribbling:

_Dear Princess Celestia;_

_Last week I met a strange pony who_

Twilight suddenly stopped. The quill, losing its purple hum, clattered on the desk, dripping inky dots all over the parchment. Spike gaped at her worriedly.

"Twilight?"

The strange feeling of doom had suddenly pounced upon her. She felt eyes – thousands and thousands of strange and unwelcome eyes – glaring at her from every shadow, every crevice of the room. Her skin began to crawl, and she looked at her hooves in horror as a black, inky miasma drifted over her coat. An odd fatigue draped over her. She found it difficult to breathe, as though she was in a very dense sauna. She crumpled up the scroll with her magic and tossed it into her fireplace.

As soon as the parchment had been reduced to ashes, the feeling of doom disappeared. Looking down, she saw the miasma fade on her coat. She took a deep breath and looked at Spike, her eyes wide with terror.

"That...that was really..."

Spike blinked at her, worried. Then, he took up another scroll and quill, preparing for her narration. "Okay, you tell me, and I'll write it."

"No!" Twilight yelled, feeling the sweep of nausea again.

The dragon's brows crossed. "Well, he didn't curse _me_. I'm gonna tell Celestia everything!" And he set the pen to paper.

Almost immediately, he threw them both to the ground with a cry. Twilight gasped as a dark shadow passed over her assistant. The color drained from Spike's face.

"I don't think you should hang around this guy, Twilight," Spike said solemnly.

* * *

><p>Dusk returned that night, pulling a cart that clattered with the promising sound of glass and metal and the pungent smell of dried herbs. Finding the library door locked, he rapped quietly on the door with a hoof.<p>

The door opened an inch, Twilight's face appearing in the darkness. Dusk stood there for a moment, staring at her in the glow of moonlight. Finally, he sighed and said, slightly annoyed, "Are you going to let me in?"

"You cursed me," she said in a frightened tone.

"Yes," he said flatly. "You were nosy. You really left me no choice. Let me guess: you wanted to tell your precious princess all about me. Did your _dragon _find out, too?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You cursed _us_."

He settled back, shifting his weight on his back hooves, and sighed. "It's not as bad as it feels, trust me. And the effects are reversible, to a degree. I should know - I've been both victim and assailant of that particular spell."

Twilight still glowered at him.

"I'm not going to apologize," he said, tilting up his head and looking down his nose at her. "It's my life I'm protecting. You chose to share part of the responsibility, whether you realized it or not."

Silence was her only answer. Dusk snorted and began to turn his cart around.

In the darkness of the library, Twilight looked over at her desk. The letter from the princess still lay there, unfurled, glowing whitish-yellow in the moonlight as though it were enchanted. Earlier, in her rage and frustration, Twilight had merely sent a quickly-scribbled letter with one line:

_Friendship is impossible for some ponies._

It hadn't taken long for the princess's neat but equally brief reply:

_Those who seem beyond friendship are the ones who need it most. Generally._

Twilight gave an exasperated groan and poked her head out of the door. "Wait."

Dusk stopped, tilting his head to look at her. With magic, Twilight lit a few candles and opened the door wide, stepping to the side as if to invite him in. He looked quizzically at her for a moment, but at length he slowly turned his cart around.

"No more curses?" she said quietly, giving him a suspicious look as he carefully maneuvered his cart through the door.

"I only know the one," he sighed. "Curses _are_ forbidden magic, after all, and I promised -"

He stopped suddenly. It may have been the dim light, but Twilight could swear she saw a shadow of miasma pass over him. He shuddered for a moment then grinned slyly at her.

"I have six or seven of them upon myself at this very moment, you know. Most are self-inflicted. I either fancy myself a tattletale or a glutton for punishment. Which reminds me, there are a couple rules we need to go over before we begin this little operation."

Twilight frowned. Dusk pulled out three small, wheeled slats and began loading his equipment onto them as he spoke. A variety of beakers, flasks, tongs, burners, and other materials Twilight had been accustomed to seeing in her chemistry classes floated out. A great many of them were filled with dried powders or bright liquids.

"Rule one: no prying. If I want you to know something, I will tell you about it. Any further attempt to procure information will result in a warning. After the warning, I will discontinue the experiments, pack my things, and leave. Understood?"

Twilight nodded, still grimacing.

"Rule two: keep that _dragon _of yours away from me. I have no love for them, and I don't need its help with my duties."

"_His _help," Twilight corrected, more than a little annoyed at the venom in Dusk's voice. Spike was important to her and deserved to be discussed respectfully. "Spike's a boy dragon."

"I don't care," Dusk said flatly. "To me, it's an _it _and shall remain so. At any rate, keep it upstairs."

Twilight was on the verge of saying something spiteful, but the unfurled parchment on her desk made her bite her tongue. It took a moment of forcing back her words before she said, through clenched teeth, "Anything else?"

"I said a _couple _rules, didn't I? There were two. Now, shall we get started? Did you get the Capsicorn peppers?"

Twilight had not. She hadn't planned on allowing Dusk into the library again. He sighed gravely and pulled a small bunch of the peppers from out of his cart. He set them on one of the highly-stacked wheeled slats and began moving all three slats toward the stairs.

"Good thing I know where that pegasus friend of yours lives. Don't look at me like that; I was polite to her. Even paid her for them, which is probably more than you would've done."

"She's my friend," Twilight retorted. "I've done favors for her, and I would expect her to do the same for me."

Dusk stopped, though the wheeled slats continued. They floated easily down the stairs to the basement, and at that moment Twilight realized that Dusk shouldn't have any idea where the basement was. He did seem to have a good grasp - a memorization, in fact - of the library's books, even their locations. Had he been friends with Storybelle? More than friends? Was that why he was so angry at Twilight, since she had replaced Storybelle?

She noticed he was staring at her, and color rushed to her face. His look was hard and cold, eyes firm and smoldering.

"Friends are weaknesses," he said, unable to hide the tremolo in his voice. He turned swiftly and disappeared down the dark basement stairs.


End file.
